This Could Be the Secret to Getting the Most From Your Antidepressants

About 11 percent of American teens and adults take antidepressants, but of that group, as little as 35 percent of them manage to recover from their depression. That leaves nearly two thirds of American patients still struggling with mental health. Why are these medications effective for some people but not others? One piece of the puzzle could have to do with their users' sleep habits.

For a new study in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 68 people spent either six or eight hours in bed per night during their first two weeks on the antidepressant fluoxetine. The University of Michigan researchers used sleep-tracking devices to make sure participants were following the instructions. They reported their moods throughout the study, including for six additional weeks without the assigned sleep schedules.

The differences between the two groups were drastic: 63 percent of people who got eight hours of sleep per night saw symptom relief after two months, while only 33 percent of those in the six-hour group did. People who got more sleep also recovered more quickly.

This was the opposite of what the researchers expected. Previous research has found that spending more time in bed can make depression worse, according to a press release. To the contrary, it looks like combatting depression is yet another thing that's easier when you're getting a good night's sleep.